


To Take Action

by flugantamuso



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: M/M, preslash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-10
Updated: 2010-01-10
Packaged: 2017-10-06 03:28:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flugantamuso/pseuds/flugantamuso
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During the seventh book events in Ravenclaw's tower take a somewhat different turn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Take Action

Harry stepped out from under the cloak to read the words on Ravenclaw's diadem. With a whisper of sound Luna did the same, folding the cloak over one arm. She had just opened her mouth to speak to him when there was a crackling laugh behind them.

Harry whirled around, but even as he did so Luna fell to the ground stunned, and the slope-shouldered woman in front of him, Alecto Carrow, held her wand on him menacingly.

Harry had a grip on his wand, but it was still half in his pocket. He eyed Alecto warily.

You fool," she said mockingly, "You should have stayed as far away from Hogwarts as you could, but since you haven't--" here she shook the sleeve down from her wand arm, revealing the skull and snake branded there, "--I'll have the pleasure of turning you in myself."

She was reaching with one stubby finger for the brand when a voice behind her said, _"Stupefy,"_ and she fell flat on her face with a loud thud.

Harry had his wand out of his pocket and at Draco Malfoy's throat before he quite knew he was doing it. "You _saved_ me," he said, sounding as surprised as he felt.

"Obviously," said Malfoy dryly. Despite the gleam of humor in his eyes he looked even more tired than he had when Harry was trailing him the year before. The shadows under his eyes were black, and his throat muscles trembled slightly under Harry's wand with what might be fear, but looked more likely to be exhaustion.

Harry was going to respond, but voices and footsteps were coming from the ceiling above them. Someone must have heard Alecto fall.

Harry wheeled around to Luna, Malfoy forgotten for the moment. He had just managed to get them both under the cloak, Luna still a limp heap, when the first of the Ravenclaws came rushing into the room. More followed, and soon there was a veritable sea of children in nightclothes, milling around. Harry huddled next to Luna, praying that they wouldn't get stepped on.

A lot of the Ravenclaws walked gingerly around Alecto, talking in hushed voices, but no one approached her.

Malfoy began shoving his way through the crowd, speaking in a loud, commanding voice. "No one touch Professor Carrow. There's been an accident. All of you need to go back to your dormitories."

"On whose authority?" said a tall Ravenclaw challengingly.

"Headmaster Snape's," said Draco coldly. "Now do as I say or you'll all suffer the consequences."

There was a scramble for the doors, and within fifteen seconds there were only Malfoy, Harry and the unconscious Luna and Alecto in the room.

Harry immediately pulled the cloak off and sat up. "Have you lost your mind?" he demanded.

Malfoy smirked at him. "I suppose you'd prefer it if I hadn't saved your life just then?"

"Of course not," said Harry, bewildered, " but why did you do it?"

Malfoy didn't answer for a moment, looking at Carrow, his mouth twisting. Finally he looked up at Harry. "Various reasons, most of which are not your concern. But one of them does concern you." He paced closer, eyes intent. "You do know what a life debt is, don't you, Potter?"

His words, and the tone that he spoke them in, put Harry on guard. "I don't owe you a life debt, Malfoy."

"Of course you do," said Malfoy, with a strange glittering look. "You just said it yourself. I saved your life. You can probably feel it already."

Harry _could_ feel it, an insistent itch at the back of his mind. Was this what Snape had felt around his father? Aloud he said, "I suppose I'll just have to wait for an opportunity to save yours then."

Malfoy laughed, a scornful sound. It made Harry's fingers clench. "You could, but what if it never comes? Do you really want to live with it hanging over your head?"

"What's the alternative?" asked Harry.

"If your side wins," said Malfoy, voice flat, "you will speak up for my family, my parents and myself. You make sure that we don't end up in Azkaban."

Harry blinked at him in surprise. It was a far easier task than he had been expecting, though not a pleasant one. There was nothing Harry would like better than to see Lucius Malfoy back where he belonged--Azkaban.

Malfoy seemed to be reading his thoughts, "It would kill him," he said softly.

"And that matters why?" said Harry with derision.

"It matters to me," said Malfoy stiffly, "and if you don't want to live in my debt then it will matter to you too."

Harry thought on it, but there wasn't really a choice to make. Not only had Malfoy saved his life, but if he thought himself secure with Harry, then he might give other valuable assistance. The order had no spy in Voldemort's camp since Snape had showed his true colors.

"I agree."

Malfoy trembled all over with visible relief, then composed himself. "Potter, there's something else."

Harry's brows went up inquisitively.

"I'd like my wand back."

Harry fingered the hawthorne wand in his hand. He felt strangely reluctant to part with it. "I can't, Malfoy. I need a wand right now. After the war, when I've got a new one I promise that I'll return this one."

Malfoy came towards him, arms outstretched with a slender wand offered. "Take this one."

Harry looked at it, but didn't touch it. "Whose is it?"

"My mother's," said Malfoy. "You can return it to her later."

The wand in Harry's hand shivered. Harry looked at it. He wasn't sure if it wanted to return to Malfoy or not. He looked up.

"No, Malfoy. You'll have this one back eventually, just not now."

Malfoy sighed and let his arms drop, looking defeated.

Despite himself, Harry felt sorry for him. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Malfoy," he said, "why was she here?"

"The Dark Lord has been expecting you to come to Hogwarts," said Malfoy, "and for some reason he wanted the Carrows to focus on this room." His eyes narrowed in speculation. "I wonder why?"

"Never mind," said Harry hastily. "What are you doing here, though?"

Malfoy said nothing for a moment, perhaps thinking about why Harry would come to Ravenclaw tower. It was only when Harry stirred uneasily that Malfoy responded, slowly, as if there was something else on his mind. "Headmaster Snape asked me to stay with Professor Carrow."

Harry's lips drew back off his teeth in an unconscious grimace.

Malfoy caught the movement and sneered at him disdainfully. "As if you know anything about it; you should be grateful to him."

Harry saw red. "Grateful!" he snarled, too upset to keep his voice down, "grateful to that murdering--"

Quick as a snake Draco had his hand over Harry's mouth, eyes looking up. Harry took his meaning instantly, holding his breath as they waited for sounds of stirring from above. But there was nothing.

Malfoy took his hand off of Harry's mouth, and Harry said quietly this time, but with heat, "I've nothing to be grateful to Snape for."

"And just who do you think you should be grateful for?" asked Malfoy, circling Harry. "Longbottom? Lovegood? Maybe girl-Weasley? Shall I name them all? All those children hiding in the Room of Requirement?"

Harry was trembling with rage and fear. "How do you know?" he whispered.

"Headmaster Snape knows, so I know," said Malfoy. "Did you honestly think that he wouldn't know? Now do you see?"

"I see nothing," said Harry, "except that you think you know more than you do."

"I know why you're here," said Malfoy sharply, "you're here because of that." He pointed at the statue, moving towards it as he spoke. "There's something important about it. The Dark Lord knew that you would come to it, Severus knew that you would come to--"

He broke off mid-sentence, staring at the statue in astonishment.

Harry frowned at him. "What is it, Malfoy?"

Malfoy didn't appear to have heard him; he reached up, tracing the words on Ravenclaw's diadem, and said, as if to himself, "I've seen this before."

Harry barely had time to process that when there was a rush of hot air and a crackling sound from the side of the room, and then a voice, low and familiar. "Alecto," and then when there was no immediate response--"Draco."

Malfoy turned to go to the fireplace, but Harry grabbed his arm.

Malfoy just looked at him, and Harry slowly let him go.

"_Draco_," said the voice from the fireplace again, Snape's voice, and this time Malfoy responded, crouching before the fireplace to say, "I'm here, Headmaster. Professor Carrow has suffered an accident. I was just going to take her down to Madame Pomfrey."

Snape's voice was silent for a moment. Harry picked up the cloak and draped himself in it. He wanted to see Snape's face.

Before he could move behind Malfoy, Snape said, "What sort of accident did she have?"

"The unavoidable kind," said Malfoy, and Harry moved behind him and saw Snape's hateful face, hair still greasy.

Harry longed to choke Malfoy for that reply, but Snape merely said: "How unfortunate. Don't move her. I'll send Madame Pomfrey to see to her. I'm sure that you have more...important things to be doing." His eyes looked over Malfoy's head, scanning the room, and for one horrified moment Harry was sure that he'd been seen, but he vanished without another word.

Harry immediately pounced on Malfoy, the cloak falling off his head to hand over his shoulders. He hauled Malfoy up with both hands at his collar and shook him.

"What were you playing at, Malfoy?" he growled. "You've as good as given me away; I ought to kill you!"

Before Malfoy said anything the itch at the back of Harry's head exploded into pain. He let go of Malfoy with a moan, clutching his head.

Malfoy straightened his collar, eyes blank. "I didn't tell him anything more than he needed to know, Potter. Now do you want to know where I've seen Ravenclaw's diadem, or don't you?"

Harry pulled his hands away from his aching temples. It didn't make sense. If Malfoy was collaborating with Snape then why would Malfoy give him the information he so desperately needed? Unless Malfoy intended to lead him into a trap. But if Malfoy was collaborating with Snape then why had he stopped Alecto? Why go to such lengths to gain himself the assurance of a life debt from Harry?

The life debt was for his parents, and Malfoy had shown last year to what lengths he'd go to protect them. Harry made his decision. "Yes," he said, "I do."

"Then Ennervate Lovegood and let's get out of here," said Malfoy.

The spell was on the tip of Harry's tongue when there was the sound of rapping on the door. Harry froze, meeting Malfoy's wide eyes.

A lilting voice said, "Where do Vanished objects go?" followed immediately by a different, rougher voice, "I dunno, do I? Alecto, there's news, open the damn door!"

As Harry was reaching for his cloak Malfoy brushed past him, dropping to his knees next to Luna. He had his wand out, and Harry saw his lips move silently.

Luna came awake with a start, looking at Malfoy with wide eyes. He put his finger to his lips, and she nodded cautiously, standing and looking at Harry inquiringly.

Harry could only shrug helplessly and offer her a corner of the cloak. She reached to take it, but Malfoy was tugging at her arm, taking something out of his pocket.

Harry tensed, but Malfoy only took out a withered hand and a small wooden box.

At the door the sound of pounding and swearing had been interrupted by a new, familiar voice.

"May I ask what you are doing, Professor Carrow?"

"Trying to get through this damned door!" said the voice, which Harry now recognized as Amycus Carrow. "Alecto's in there, and she should be opening it from the inside. Something must have happened. I can't get it to open, you do it!"

"Certainly, if you wish it," said Professor McGonagall coldly, and there was another, gentler rap on the door.

At that moment Harry was distracted by Malfoy opening his little box. Inside Harry saw a black nondescript powder. Malfoy took a handful of it and flung it into the air just as the door opened for Professor McGonagall.

Instantly the whole room was cast into darkness. There was no light even at the doorway.

"Garn! He must have been right, the boy's been here. Alecto, Alecto where are you?"

A hand grabbed Harry's and tugged him forward at speed, but Harry's scar was burning too savagely for him to follow gracefully. He stumbled over his own feet, seeing the sea washing around him, feeling triumphant. With a sinking feeling he realized that Amycus must have touched his Mark.

He blindly followed the urgings of the hand, shoulders bumping against wood and stone, Amycus' voice receding, and then he burst out of the darkness into the torchlit light of a corridor, Luna in front of him, her hand grasping his tightly, and in front of her, Malfoy, still clutching her arm, withered hand held in front of him. He put it down and turned, releasing Luna.

"We should get away fast. He'll wake her up, and then they'll be after us." He turned to Harry. "_He's_ coming now too. Whatever you're going to do, you'd better do it fast."

Harry took a deep breath, heart pounding. "The diadem. Where did you see it?"

"The Room of Hidden Things," said Malfoy quickly, "but you'll never find it on your own. I'll have to come with you. And you'll have to clear your lot out of the Room of Requirement first, otherwise we'll never be able to get in."

"Right," said Harry, turning to Luna. "Luna, we've got to get everyone out of headquarters, and--" here he eyed Malfoy narrowly--"it's probably best if they take the other way out."

Luna nodded, "You stay outside. I'll go in and make everyone leave, and then I'll come back out and tell you when it's clear."

Harry let out the breath that he'd been holding. She had understood him. Getting everyone out to the Hog's Head would serve a double purpose, clearing the Room of Requirement for his and Malfoy's search for the diadem, and getting them out of Voldemort's path. Harry himself would have to leave by the same route, hopefully before Voldemort's arrival.

He ducked under the cloak with Luna, and followed Malfoy as he walked down the hall.

"You know," said Malfoy conversationally, sounding not in the least concerned about being overheard, "I just saved your life again. That's two life debts that you owe me now."

Harry flushed and said nothing. Next to him Luna let out a nervous giggle.

"I'll just have to think of a way for you to work that off," said Malfoy musingly, looking back, though there was nothing for him to see. His eyes were half-lidded and almost predatory.

_finis_


End file.
